SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Fourth-seeded Sacramento State scored the final 19 points of the game but could not overcome an early deficit, falling to South Dakota State, 24-19, in the second round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs on Saturday night at Hornet Stadium.

The loss wraps up a historic season for Sacramento State which finished the year with a 9-3 overall record and won the Big Sky Conference with a perfect 8-0 mark. SDSU improved to 10-3 overall and will face Villanova next weekend in the FCS quarterfinals.

The game had two starkly different halves as the Jackrabbits built a 24-0 lead, led 24-3 at halftime, and out gained the Hornets 295-199 in the first two quarters. Sacramento State battled back in the second half as it limited South Dakota State to just 68 yards of total offense while gaining 281 of its own.

"We didn't start fast enough and got ourself in a hole against an incredibly good football team," Sacramento State head coach Troy Taylor said. "But I am happy that we fought back. Our defense kept them out of the end zone (in the second half) and we made some plays on offense, just not enough.

"I'm really happy for this team. It's obviously a disappointing way to end. Only one team is going to end the year a winner and unfortunately it's not going to be us but it doesn't take away from this team and what this senior class has been able to accomplish which has been remarkable for Sacramento State. They've shown tremendous resiliency and courage and I'm indebted to them forever."

After forcing Sacramento State to punt on the opening drive, SDSU marched 73 yards on eight plays to take a 7-0 lead following a 5-yard rush from Pierre Strong. The Jackrabbits added a 45-yard field goal from Chris Frahm to hold a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Hornets best opportunity to score early came late in the first quarter when the team moved the ball to the 12-yard line. However, false start and offensive pass interference penalties made it 1st-and-30. The drive ended when Jake Dunniway's pass was intercepted in the end zone by Don Gardner.

South Dakota State started the second quarter with an 88-yard drive which resulted in a 7-yard touchdown run from Isaiah Davis. The score was setup by a 27-yard scramble from quarterback Chris Oladokun on 3rd-and-4. On the play, Oladokun eluded two would-be tacklers behind the line of scrimmage and then was able to get to the second level of the Hornet defense.

Sacramento State again pieced together a solid offensive drive, moving the ball to the SDSU 23 behind three first downs. However, Dunniway's screen pass was intercepted by defensive lineman Cade Terveer to halt the series.

The Jackrabbits turned the interception into seven points when Davis found the end zone on a 6-yard rush. The score marked the first time since the opposition has scored following a Hornet turnover since Cal on Sept. 18.

Sacramento State was able to get on the scoreboard as time expired in the first half when Kyle Sentkowski made a 44-yard field goal for his 20th successful kick of the year.

The Hornets continued that momentum into the third quarter where Dunniway connected with Pierre Wiliams for a 3-yard touchdown pass with 5:27 remaining. Sacramento State forced another stop and brought the ball across midfield but eventually turned it over on downs on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Sentkowki later hammered a line drive 48-yard field goal to make it 13-unanswered for the Hornets and pull the team within 11, 24-13, five minutes into the fourth quarter. After the defense forced SDSU to punt for the fourth time in the half. Sacramento State drove 89 yards on 13 plays to pull within one score.

Dunniway converted two third-down passes during the series, including a 3rd-and-10 to Jared Gipson for a gain of 26 yards. He later scrambled on back-to-back plays to take the ball to the 1-yard line setting up Asher O'Hara's short pitch to Isaiah Gable for the touchdown. The Hornets attempted a two-point conversion to trim their deficit to three but the pass attempt was knocked down at the line of scrimmage.

The ensuing onside kick took the bounce Sacramento State was looking for but was recovered by SDSU near midfield with 2:32 remaining. The Hornets used their two remaining timeouts following first and second down and then got a stop on 3rd-and-1. The Jackrabbits elected to keep their offense on the field and sealed the game when Davis slithered through the line for a 2-yard gain on a direct snap.

Sacramento State finished the contest with 480 yards of total offense. Dunniway recorded his fifth career 300-yard passing performance as he completed 26-of-43 attempts for 331 yards. He was also the team's leading rusher with a career high 41 yards on 10 attempts. Ten different players caught passes during the game with Williams leading the group with seven receptions for 100 yards — his eighth career game over the century mark. Tight end Marshel Martin added 59 yards on six catches.

Oladokun was 12-of-23 passing for 158 yards and tacked on 28 rushing yards. Davis led all players in the game with 108 yards and two touchdowns while Strong had 73 yards and a score. Davis was the first 100-yard rusher allowed by Sacramento State this season. SDSU amassed 363 yards of offense and won the time of possession 32:16-27:44.

Defensively, Sacramento State was sparked by Abel Ordaz who had eight total tackles. Malik Jeter and Taylor Powell each had seven stops and Josiah Erickson recorded two TFLs, including a sack.

NOTES

• Erickson finished the year ranked third in school history with 19.5 tackles-for-loss. His total trails only Anthony Daisley (25.0, 1999) and George Obinna (20.0, 2019) who both earned FCS All-America honors.
• Dunniway's completion percentage of 63.2 this season ranks third in school history.
• Williams finished the season with 50 receptions making him and Fred Amey the only two players in school history with three seasons of 50 receptions or more.
• Sacramento State had been plus-eight in turnover margin over its last three games but was minus-2 against SDSU.
• Sentkowski finished the season 21-of-25 on field goal attempts and was 39-of-39 on PATs. His 102 total points are the most by a Hornet kicker and rank fifth overall in program history. His 21 field goals shattered the previous mark of 14 and he was 12-of-14 on kicks of 40 yards or longer.